Riverkeeper petition: NRC should shut Indian Point

Nov. 14, 2012

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The owner of the Indian Point nuclear power plant will be unable to control the build-up of hydrogen during an accident, which could trigger an explosion and the release of radiological material across the metropolitan area, according to a petition filed Wednesday by Riverkeeper with the federal government.

The petition asks the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to permanently shut down Entergy Nuclear’s two reactors in Buchanan, less than 25 miles from New York City. The NRC said it will review the petition, as it does will all documents filed under the same federal procedures.

“(The) NRC needs to uphold its congressional mandate to protect the lives, property, and environment of the people of New York and surrounding areas, by revoking the operating license of IP-2 and -3,” says the petition addressed to R. William Borchardt, the NRC’s executive director for operations.

Riverkeeper is a longtime foe of Indian Point and the Ossining-based environmental organization has often called for the plant’s closure. It is also one of the outside groups taking part in a hearing that will help the NRC decide whether to renew the plant’s two licenses for another 20 years. The current 40-year licenses expire next year and in 2015.

Jerry Nappi, an Entergy spokesman, disagreed with the petition’s premise.

“Indian Point is designed with back-up safety equipment to protect the plant, including equipment inside containment that automatically turns hydrogen gas into harmless water in the unlikely event of damage to the nuclear fuel,” he said.

A Riverkeeper spokeswoman said the petition was prepared by a volunteer outside nuclear activist in response to Entergy’s comments after the Fukushima accident in March 2011. Deborah Brancato, a Riverkeeper attorney, said Entergy’s claims that a Fukushima-like accident can’t happen here are unsubstantiated.

“Such public distortions include misleading statements about whether Entergy could avoid large-scale radiological releases from Indian Point during an accident. The safety issues raised in (the) petition are just the latest in a long line of reasons why this dangerous, outdated nuclear plant must be shut down,” Brancato said.

NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said plant operators can use controlled burns or open purge lines to manage a significant buildup of hydrogen inside a dome.

“The NRC staff will perform an initial review to determine if the petition warrants a more in-depth evaluation,” Sheehan said.